Variety trait preferences for traditional African vegetables in West Africa
Traditional African vegetables (TAV) are increasingly acknowledged for their potential to diversify smallholder farmers’ income and improve the quality of people’s diets. Plant breeding of TAV has been very limited, but this is slowly changing. Breeding programs need information on the crop trait pr...
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| Format: | Article |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1613104/full |
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| author | Irene M. Mitchodigni Mathieu A.T. Ayenan Benoit Govoeyi Sognigbe N’Danikou Christelle Komlan Raoudath Bouraima Raoudath Bouraima Simon Codjo Pepijn Schreinemachers |
| author_facet | Irene M. Mitchodigni Mathieu A.T. Ayenan Benoit Govoeyi Sognigbe N’Danikou Christelle Komlan Raoudath Bouraima Raoudath Bouraima Simon Codjo Pepijn Schreinemachers |
| author_sort | Irene M. Mitchodigni |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Traditional African vegetables (TAV) are increasingly acknowledged for their potential to diversify smallholder farmers’ income and improve the quality of people’s diets. Plant breeding of TAV has been very limited, but this is slowly changing. Breeding programs need information on the crop trait preferences of value chain actors. Here, we identified and prioritized trait preferences for amaranth, jute mallow, and okra in Benin and Mali using focus group discussions with farmers and individual interviews with traders and consumers. The findings show that late flowering, a high number of branches, suitability for multiple harvesting, broad leaves, and green to dark green color are key traits farmers seek in amaranth and jute mallow. Tolerance to drought was a preferred trait among farmers for all three crops. Okra producers preferred early maturing varieties bearing a high number of fruits per plant. Regardless of the crop, traders and consumers had similar trait preferences. Leaf physical integrity, green to dark green, and broad leaves were priority traits for amaranth and jute mallow. In okra and jute mallow, high mucilage content was a key attribute. The trait preferences varied between different types of value chain actors, but were consistent for the same types of actors across locations. This research provides foundational information for plant breeders to develop market-preferred varieties, eventually contributing to the greater availability, acceptability, and affordability of TAV. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e0ec55dcf02843acad07d8994a0feb98 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2571-581X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems |
| spelling | doaj-art-e0ec55dcf02843acad07d8994a0feb982025-08-20T02:39:25ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems2571-581X2025-07-01910.3389/fsufs.2025.16131041613104Variety trait preferences for traditional African vegetables in West AfricaIrene M. Mitchodigni0Mathieu A.T. Ayenan1Benoit Govoeyi2Sognigbe N’Danikou3Christelle Komlan4Raoudath Bouraima5Raoudath Bouraima6Simon Codjo7Pepijn Schreinemachers8World Vegetable Center, West and Central Africa (WCA), Cotonou, BeninWorld Vegetable Center, West and Central Africa (WCA), Cotonou, BeninFaculté d’Agronomie, Université de Parakou, Parakou, BeninWorld Vegetable Center, Eastern and Southern Africa, Arusha, TanzaniaWorld Vegetable Center, West and Central Africa (WCA), Cotonou, BeninWorld Vegetable Center, West and Central Africa (WCA), Cotonou, BeninLaboratory of Nutrition and Food Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi, Abomey-Calavi, BeninWorld Vegetable Center, West and Central Africa (WCA), Cotonou, BeninWorld Vegetable Center, East and Southeast Asia, Bangkok, ThailandTraditional African vegetables (TAV) are increasingly acknowledged for their potential to diversify smallholder farmers’ income and improve the quality of people’s diets. Plant breeding of TAV has been very limited, but this is slowly changing. Breeding programs need information on the crop trait preferences of value chain actors. Here, we identified and prioritized trait preferences for amaranth, jute mallow, and okra in Benin and Mali using focus group discussions with farmers and individual interviews with traders and consumers. The findings show that late flowering, a high number of branches, suitability for multiple harvesting, broad leaves, and green to dark green color are key traits farmers seek in amaranth and jute mallow. Tolerance to drought was a preferred trait among farmers for all three crops. Okra producers preferred early maturing varieties bearing a high number of fruits per plant. Regardless of the crop, traders and consumers had similar trait preferences. Leaf physical integrity, green to dark green, and broad leaves were priority traits for amaranth and jute mallow. In okra and jute mallow, high mucilage content was a key attribute. The trait preferences varied between different types of value chain actors, but were consistent for the same types of actors across locations. This research provides foundational information for plant breeders to develop market-preferred varieties, eventually contributing to the greater availability, acceptability, and affordability of TAV.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1613104/fullamaranthjute mallowokraBeninMalicrop improvement |
| spellingShingle | Irene M. Mitchodigni Mathieu A.T. Ayenan Benoit Govoeyi Sognigbe N’Danikou Christelle Komlan Raoudath Bouraima Raoudath Bouraima Simon Codjo Pepijn Schreinemachers Variety trait preferences for traditional African vegetables in West Africa Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems amaranth jute mallow okra Benin Mali crop improvement |
| title | Variety trait preferences for traditional African vegetables in West Africa |
| title_full | Variety trait preferences for traditional African vegetables in West Africa |
| title_fullStr | Variety trait preferences for traditional African vegetables in West Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Variety trait preferences for traditional African vegetables in West Africa |
| title_short | Variety trait preferences for traditional African vegetables in West Africa |
| title_sort | variety trait preferences for traditional african vegetables in west africa |
| topic | amaranth jute mallow okra Benin Mali crop improvement |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1613104/full |
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